Design, Synthesis, and Structure−Activity Relationship, Molecular Modeling, and NMR Studies of a Series of Phenyl Alkyl Ketones as Highly Potent and Selective Phosphodiesterase-4 Inhibitors
cyclic AMP and is a target for the development of anti-inflammatory agents. We have designed and synthesized a series of phenyl alkyl ketones as PDE4 inhibitors. Among them, 13 compounds were identified as having submicromolar IC(50) values. The most potent compounds have IC(50) values of in the mid- to low-nanomolar range. Compound 5v also showed preference for PDE4 with selectivity of >2000-fold over